Wrapped In Each Other: revisited Power RangersSPD
by LttleDvl
Summary: Z and Bridge, what else needs to be said? This is actually the second chapter of the originally published story, though I have 'freed' it from the 1st chapter in order to make it more widely available as it doesn't need such a high rating. Enjoy!


Bridge awoke slowly, feeling content and rested. He felt something warm and soft curled against his side; he glanced down to see Z still asleep, wrapped in his arms.

He hugged her lightly and softly placed a kiss on the top of her head. He heard her mutter something under her breath and she began to stir slightly.

Z woke with Bridge's musk and aroma surrounding her. She felt him embrace her as he brushed her hair with his lips. She blinked a bit, then turned her face up to look deeply into his eyes.

Bridge still couldn't believe the depth of emotion he saw reflected in Z's eyes. He reached out and placed a hand gently on the side of her cheek, feeling her love. She smiled back at him.

"Yah, I know. I see it in you too." She said as she leaned over to place a passionate kiss on his lips.

He closed his eyes, beginning to lose himself in her, when he sighed and drew away.

She peered at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he replied "I'd love to stay here with you all day, but we have duties to attend to and there's no telling when Sky might show up. And if that were to happen…"

"We'd be in a lot of trouble." she finished for him.

He nodded faintly in response.

"Ugh." she placed her head against his chest. "Why do things have to be so complicated? I wish we could go out there and just tell everyone how we feel about each other, but we can't do that, can we? We're going to have to keep this secret."

"I'm afraid so, Z." he wrapped his arms about her and drew her in closer. "I wish we didn't have to either. I'd love to be able to tell Sky and Syd that I finally found someone to love me after all."

Z drew her head up from his chest to peer at him intently. He seemed slightly saddened and disheartened. She reached out and traced a gently finger along the side of his face. He sighed lightly. "Bridge, I know it hasn't exactly been easy for you, but trust me, those days are over. Even if we can't tell our friends."

She leaned down and kissed him once again. He returned her kiss, feeling himself and her beginning to become aroused yet again when something else intruded into his senses.

He pulled away from her suddenly; rapidly blinking his eyes.

Z looked at him, perplexed. "Bridge?"

"Uh-oh." He glanced quickly at her. "We'd better get dressed. Like now."

He jumped up from the bed and quickly began to collect their scattered clothing; handing Z's to her as he began to put his own back on.

Z followed his example, not quite sure what was driving him, but trusting his instincts all the same.

They had both just gotten their uniform jackets back on when the door slid open and Sky walked in; followed closely by Syd.

Sky peered at them both curiously. "What are you guys doing in here?"

"Uh, nothing." Bridge replied somewhat nervously.

"We were just talking." Z piped up. "About our last mission." she glanced briefly at Bridge. "That was a close call."

"Um, yeah." he replied.

Sky arched his eyebrows and shook his head slightly.

"Yah." Syd spoke, stepping out from behind Sky. "You gave us all a bit of scare there, Bridgey."

He shrugged faintly. "Sorry, won't happen again."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Sky told him. "Could have happened to any one of us. It's not like our jobs are without risks."

Bridge just nodded in response.

"Well, anyway," Z stated. "I just wanted to come by and check up on Bridge. I should get going." she glanced briefly at the Green Ranger "I'm glad you're okay."

She headed towards the door, waving at her friends as she left. "See you guys later."

"Uh, yeah. Later." Bridge replied.

Bridge crossed back over to his bed, collected his shoes and began to put them back on.

Syd walked over to him; looking down at him. "I'm glad you're okay, too. I don't know what we'd do without you."

Bridge glanced up peculiarly at the Pink Ranger. "Um…thanks. I think."

Sky shook his head once again. "Take it as a compliment, Bridge. Believe it or not, some of us would miss your goofy and odd ball ways."

Bridge stared at Sky for a moment. "Uh…thanks again?"

Syd chuckled as Bridge reapplied his attention to putting his shoes on. "Bridge?" she asked curiously.

"Yah?" he responded without looking up.

"Why are your gloves off?"

Bridge stopped himself short. "I…uh…um…I don't really remember?" he stated sheepishly.

Sky stared suspiciously at the Green Ranger. "You took your gloves off and you don't remember why? Bridge, I think there are days you'd forget your head if it wasn't already attached."

Bridge chuckled nervously. "Yah, you're probably right." He finished lacing his shoes and stood up, collecting his gloves from the top of the bed as he did so. "Well, I better get going too. I've got some stuff I need to take care of. See you guys around."

Bridge quickly strode for the door and left the room; the Blue and Pink Rangers looking after him oddly.

Syd turned to Sky once the door had slid shut. "Anything about that seem odd to you?"

Sky just looked at her, slightly annoyed. "No, it was just anything that seemed odd, try all of it." He stood up and walked over to stand directly in front of her. "Bridge never takes his gloves off; ever."

Syd crossed her arms across her chest, cocking her head to one side. "Never? We both know that's not true. He takes them off whenever he's tracking something." she said in a patronizing tone of voice.

Sky heaved out a large breath. "Okay, you're right, so that's not completely true." Sky admitted. "He also doesn't sleep in them, but that's why he's got those weird pajamas with the hands attached. Nor does he wear them in the shower; but then again, he also makes sure he's the only one in the shower at the time."

"But it still doesn't make any sense of why he had them off just now." Sky added.

"Well, I can't disagree with you on that." she grinned slightly at him. "You could always ask."

"Me; ask Bridge why he would take his gloves off for something when he's not working?" Sky shook his head. "No way; there are just some things about Bridge I'd rather not know."

Syd laughed at his remark. "I suppose you're right. I mean, Bridge is a good friend and all, but…" she wrinkled her brow slightly "he's a bit too odd even for me sometimes."

Sky nodded. "Yeah, he's a good friend, but still." He looked at her in a vaguely strange way. "You really shouldn't do that, you know."

Syd looked puzzled. "Do what?"

"That." Sky pointed at her forehead. "Wrinkle your forehead all up. It'll give you lines when you get older."

Syd rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, like you would even care. Besides, who says that once we're both old and retired that we'd even want anything to do with each other anymore."

"I would." Sky said softly.

Syd gazed at Sky wonderingly. "Really? You really mean that?"

"I wouldn't have said it otherwise." he replied.

Syd closed the space that remained between them, staring intently into Sky's eyes. She almost couldn't believe what she saw there. "Oh, Sky." She flung her arms around him, hugging him close. She felt him wrap his arms about her in return.

------------------------

Bridge had stepped out into the rec room, not quite sure what to do next. He glanced around briefly, noting that it was empty of any other cadets. He shrugged to himself and went over to the food bar and began to make himself some toast.

He was so fixed on his task that he didn't notice that anyone else had entered the room; much less approach him from behind. He jumped when he felt arms slide themselves about his waist. He quickly turned to see Z.

"Z?! What are you doing? We could get caught like this!"

"No one else is here right now. I figured it was safe; if only for a moment." She released him reluctantly and sat down on one of the stools. She glanced at what he was doing and smirked slightly. "Couldn't stand going without toast for any longer, eh?"

He sighed lightly and gave her a long suffering look. "Z…"

She giggled at his look. "Its okay, Bridge. It's just you and your love of toast; I don't get it. Why do you always have to smear butter all over it? Can't you think of anything else?"

He grinned at her slyly. "Well, now that you mention it, I can think of other places I could smear butter all over." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She held up her hands as if she were going to have to fend him off. "No way, Jose. You're not coming anywhere near me with butter."

He grinned even more and began to slowly aim the butter-dipped knife at her nose.

"No! Get away!" she laughed as she spoke "Somebody help me! I'm about to be attacked by an evil butter monster!" she laughed once again.

"A what?" a voice from across the room cut into their jesting.

Z stopped laughing as she and Bridge both looked up to see Jack standing near the doorway. He looked extremely baffled. "What are you guys doing?"

"Uh…" Bridge quickly put his knife away. "Nothing."

Jack stared at them both.

"We were just messing around, Jack." Z stated. "I think Bridge is finally starting to get tired of me picking on his buttery toast habit." She glanced back at the Green Ranger, who only screwed his face up in response.

"Okay," Jack said pointing a finger at her "you're now officially as weird as he is."

"Why thanks, Jack. That means so much coming from you." Z quipped back.

Bridge had to cover his mouth with his hand in order to keep himself from busting out in laughter; doubling over slightly in the process.

"Now see what you've done? You've gone and broken our Green Ranger. He can't even stand up straight anymore." Z continued her jesting.

Bridge couldn't help himself; he sank to the floor, sides heaving with silent laughter, hardly able to catch his breath.

Jack just rolled his eyes and shook his head at his friend. "You'd better stop, Z. Before he gets stuck like that permanently."

Bridge rolled to his side, still laughing, his eyes beginning to water as he sucked in air. "No, more, please!" he gasped out "I can't take it anymore!"

Z just smirked and giggled at him as Jack approached them both, shaking his head. "You guys are both nuts. Honestly, I don't know why I put up with either of you anymore."

Z turned to face him as Bridge began to pick himself up off of the floor. "Because you'd be totally lost without us, admit it. You may be the Red Ranger, but you still need someone to help you out if ever got stuck in a sticky situation."

Jack arched his eyebrows. "Stuck? In a sticky situation?" he glanced around briefly and spied the honey container. "Just how sticky do you want to get?" he asked as he began to reach for the bottle.

"Oh, no." Z stated as she backed away. "I don't think starting a food fight in the rec room is a good idea. Cruger would probably kill us."

"Yah," Bridge piped up "food fights are strictly off-limits outside of the mess hall." He furrowed his brow in thought as he raised a finger in the air and cocked his head slightly "Well actually, they're off-limits there too. In fact…"

"Bridge!" Jack cut him off quickly. "I don't really want to know the rules about food fights. Besides, wouldn't that be more of Sky's department?" Jack raised his head up slightly and looked curious. "Hey, where is he anyway? And Syd for that matter? You guys seen 'em recently?"

Z just shrugged. "Nope, not for a little while anyway. I think they went somewhere to talk about something."

Bridge thought about where he had last seen them, then quickly jerked his head up, eyes widening slightly.

Jack looked perplexed at his reaction. "Bridge? You okay?" Z also peered at him worriedly.

Bridge shook his head slightly. "I'm okay. I was just thinking of something else."

Jack nodded briefly. "Okay, then. Um, I'm going to go now. I don't know exactly where I'm going to go or what I'm going to do yet, but anything's got to be better than just standing around here with you two nuts." he shook his head at both of them "Seriously, you guys need to get out more."

Jack turned and headed for the door. He waved at them as he stepped out. "Catch you later."

"Bye Jack." Z said absently, turning to face Bridge as he sat down in a stool next to her, staring off into space. "Bridge? What is it? What's wrong?"

He shook his head slightly. "When Jack mentioned Syd and Sky, I thought about where I'd last seen them."

Z didn't know what he was getting at. "In your room; when they, almost, walked in on us. So?"

He glanced at her briefly. "They never left. They're still in there." He pointed to the door to his room.

Z arched an eyebrow quizzically. "So?" she shrugged "You can sense that they're still in there, big deal. They're probably still talking."

Bridge shook his head a little more vigorously this time. "No; they're not." He looked at her pointedly.

Z's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Syd and Sky? You've got to be kidding me. Who ever would have thought of them hooking up?"

Bridge turned to face her fully. "Who would have thought of us hooking up either?"

Z sighed and closed her eyes briefly. "That's not what I meant." she replied as she placed a hand on his cheek. She felt him quiver faintly in response. "It's just that I didn't think they'd be the types to get along, really. I mean, we're all friends, but Sky and Syd are a lot different from each other. I'd think they'd get on each other's nerves more often than not."

Bridge shook his head slightly. "I disagree. I think their differences are what would make for a strong relationship. We all know Sky could learn to relax a bit more, and Syd can certainly help with that; but at the same time Syd needs to know when to be serious too, and Sky…well, he's got plenty of seriousness for two people."

Z just stared at him for a moment. "Whoa." She glanced off into space for a moment then turned back to Bridge. "I wouldn't have thought of it in that way. Maybe you're right; maybe they will be good for each other."

"I think so." Bridge replied "That is, if they don't kill each other in the process." He began to resume his toast buttering.

Z chuckled lightly. "Yah, they could be murdering each other right now."

"Uh…no. Actually the opposite." Bridge tried to continue with his toast, but shook slightly, and dropped the knife he was holding. He closed his eyes as he tried to block out the feelings that emanated from the nearby room.

Z became alarmed. "Bridge? Are you okay?" she placed a hand on his arm "What's wrong? Tell me."

Bridge shook his head slightly. "It's nothing. It's just…" he drew in a large breath and reopened his eyes to look at her. "I can feel them. I'm not trying to, really. I sort of feel like I'm eavesdropping or spying on them, but I can't help it. It's just that it's so strong…" he closed his eyes again, fighting against the tide of emotions that battered at his senses.

"Bridge." Z leaned in close to him and cupped either side of his face in her hands; she felt him shudder slightly at her touch and his eyes opened; seeming relived. "I think I know what can help with that."

"What?" he wondered.

"C'mon." She got up, took both of his hands in hers and began to lead him out of the rec room.

"Z? Where are we going?" Bridge asked, puzzled.

She turned and smiled slightly at him. "To my room. It's not like Syd's going to come strolling in at any minute and you need a distraction."

Bridge grinned back. "A distraction, eh? I like the sound of that."

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. No copyright infringement is intended.


End file.
